Uttoxeter, Birmingham, Wymeswold Waddle and Milton Keynes

Rob’s back for more!!!
We’ve moved rapidly from what has seemed like endless winter to one of the hottest May Day bank holiday weekends on record with conditions to challenge even the hardiest of runners. Sunday saw the second race in this year’s Burton and District Summer League (BDSL), the Uttoxeter Half Marathon, and a record number for the race saw 26 from SDRR tackle not only the heat but a course that is recognised as one of the most challenging about. The Club were looking to consolidate their BDSL series leading starts and they seemed to have done that with the men’s team of James Farmer (01:26:54), Stuart Halsey (01:29:42), Andy Windle (01:30:32) and Andy Hawtin (01:32:16) securing an excellent 2^nd place in the team race. For James it was not only his debut at the distance but his time was good enough for 11^th place overall and 1^st place in the U20 age category. Not to be outdone the Club’s women also performed brilliantly with Jennie Laing (01:38:38), Katie Dennis (01:49:56), Becky Moult (01:53:50) and Lisa Wright (01:54:14) combining for 3^rd team prize in the women’s race. Jennie’s performance, just 2 weeks after this year’s gruelling London Marathon, also gave her 3^rd place in the women’s race.
Giving everything behind the team scorers were Mark Harriott (01:32:28) for 28^th, Christian Glover in 34^th in 01:35:36 and Nathan Fagan in a superb 41^st in 01:37:07. Men’s Club Captain, Andy Orme was his usual steady self as he stopped the clock in 01:40:58, while the closest inter club battle of the race featured Tom Eyre (01:43:42) and Romain Chambard (01:43:43). Paul Glover and Andy Meadows ran well to finish in 01:46:17 and 01:47:08 respectively before Andy Lindley crossed the line in 01:53:47. It was a day when a number of the Club’s runners tackled the distance for the first time or made their competitive debuts for the Club. One such person was Heather O’Brien and she should be well pleased with her 01:56:38 as should Chris Elsegood and Barrie Saunders as they finished in 02:00:24 and 02:00:48 respectively. Becky Atkins (02:17:00) managed to get the better of David Lunn (02:20:33) and the determined Hannah Wintrip (02:25:46) before Karen Wilks (02:49:22), Emily Atkins (02:49:22) and Emma Sharp (02:55:08) completed the Club’s finishers on a day when all of the 283 finishers deserved plaudits and their post-race refuelling.
Gav Horton, slowly regaining race fitness, tackled the 10k event in what is now the Uttoxeter Festival of running and his 43:25 for 10^th place was a big improvement on last Sunday’s effort in the Leicester 10k.
The Uttoxeter Festival was not the only race in which SDRR were in action. 6 lined up with 332 others to tackle the 5 mile Wymeswold Waddle. Leading the way for the Club was Colin Mee who ran well for 52^nd place in 36:05 and 2^nd place in the MV60 category. Debutant Paulo Iorio was next in 38:38 just edging out Malcolm Moore in 39:21 before Kat Smith, a race regular, stopped the clock in 46:53. Kev and Helen Clark, enjoying their run through the undulating Leicestershire countryside, completed the Club’s finishers in this race in 59:04 and 66:30 respectively.
James Gough and Club debutant, Ross Ballinger were in running action with thousands of others in the Simply Health Birmingham 10k and both should be pleased with their times of 44:54 and 50:26 respectively.
Last but not least Rob Eaton deserves an extra special mention because 2 weeks after a sub 3 hour London Marathon performance he tackled the classic distance again on Monday at the Milton Keynes Marathon Festival and finished in 15^th place in an excellent 02:59:56. Rest up now Rob